Soapstone: The rock with incredible properties

Soapstone, a soft and easily-carved rock is found worldwide. Geologists know this rock better as a Steatite. Based on the mineral content, Soapstone comes in diverse colours like green, brown or gray. It is classified as a fine-grained metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rock is one of three primary types of rock, along with igneous and sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rock results from the effects of high degree of heat and pressure upon another rock type called Protolith. In case of Soapstone, when tectonic plates that form the earth's surface come under high pressure at the boundaries, it transform Protoliths into metamorphic rocks.

Chemically, this rock is composed largely of white talc. Talc, a hydrated magnesium silicate is a commonly used as a nucleating agent of polypropylene.

Versatile properties of Soapstone makes it an ideal raw material for wide array of applications. Its smooth surface makes it a perfect choice for metal casting as the finished product does not stick to the mold. Moreover, the hot molten metal will not damage the mold as Soapstone, though being relatively soft, is highly resistant to heat. Due to its heat resistance, it is not only used to create molds for metal casting but Soapstone is also preferred choice while constructing fireplaces, wood stoves, cookware and cooking surfaces. Today, Soapstone is extensively used in kitchens, especially for countertops as it is extremely stain resistant too. Natural acids present in wines and citrus juices can harm surfaces prepared from other materials but Soapstone remains impervious to them. One just needs to clean with a common household cleaner and the soapstone countertop will be clean and sparkling once again.

Soapstone has been used by carvers and builders since centuries as it is easily carved and shaped yet very durable and attractive. It is carved into figurines, beads, seals, pipes etc. Over the years, it has become a popular in home design and contemporary décor.

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An overview of Hematite iron ore

Iron, a metallic element found in about 5% of the earth's crust, forms compounds with valencies +2 and +3. This transition metal and element can form three iron oxides namely ferrous oxide (FeO), ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4). Ferric Oxide is also called hematite. The colour of hematite ranges from reddish-brown to gray or black but its streak always has red hue. Even the reddish landscape of planet Mars is because of the oxidized iron which is found in abundance there. Hematite is an important iron ore with a metallic or earthy luster. When iron in hematite comes in contact with water and oxygen, it creates a rust-like appearance. Rust, a commonly used term, is the result of the corrosion of iron when iron comes in contact with water and oxygen.

Hematite is widely used in manufacturing of steel and as a colouring pigment in cosmetics and jewelery. Red iron oxide is a form of hematite.

The major applications of red iron oxide include:

Sound Recording:It is used in making magnetic recording tape. It is mixed with a binder and then coated upon polyester tape.

As a Polish: Red iron oxide acts as an excellent metal polish for the jewelery business.

As a pigment: Red iron oxide powder is ideal to create pigments. This red iron oxide pigment is used for colouring of all kinds of cosmetics, rubber, paper, cloth etc. In recent times, it is extensively used in various types of concrete prefabricated parts and building materials. Red iron oxide pigment helps to give colour to variety of indoor and outdoor concrete surfaces such as walls, floors, pillars, pavements etc.

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Barium Sulphate : A brief account on its versatile properties & uses

Natural barium sulphate (BaSO4) is a barium salt of sulfuric acid. It is found as crystals in nature with high density and thus it is also referred to as Barite (heavy spar). These crystals can be white, red, brown depending on the minerals found around it as it is often present in association with Sandstone and Hematite. Barite mineral is essentially formed through evaporation and geothermal deposition along with number of other formative processes. Also known as Baryte, natural deposits of BaSO4 are found world wide. Barytes usually have no taste or odour and generally regarded as non-hazardous.

Practically, barium sulfate is insoluble in water, acids and bases. Its compounds are even opaque to X-rays and are non-toxic. And hence because of these properties, its suspension in water is used for medical purposes. This suspension is often given to patients undergoing medical imaging procedures of stomach and intestine. Though in few cases, this might lead to cramping or constipation and so it is advised to consume lot of water after the tests to minimize any side effects.

For applications that require pure white colour, barium sulfate is incurred by precipitation method as “blanc-fixe” (permanent white). About 70% of BaSO4 produced is used for coating compounds. This leads to increase in quantity of coating due to its heavy weight characteristic. Barite is also extensively used in oil and gas industries for production of drilling mud. Other applications of Barite includes:

• Improving plasticity of plastics
• Spacer for white and colored pigments
• Filler in concrete
• Shielding radiations

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Iron Oxide Pigment-An ideal industrial pigment for colouring

Iron is a metallic element found in approximately 5% of the earth's crust. Other two elements apart from Iron that naturally possess magnetic property are Cobalt and Nickel. However, iron is the most magnetic of all and hence its oxide is widely utilized in the production of magnets, electronic parts, audio and video tapes etc.

Iron oxide, a chemical compound made up of oxygen and iron, is one of the most common minerals found on earth. A great amount of iron oxides are also present on the planet Mars because of which it appears red and it's called the “red planet”.

Historically, the iron oxide market is known to grow at an average of 2-4% per year. Hematite is a type of iron oxide and is an important source of iron in the world. It is believed that deposits of iron oxide were created by the process of precipitation of iron from sea water during the Proterozoic Eon.

Red iron oxide powder is ideal to create pigments. The iron present in iron oxide powder turns red when it comes into contact with water or oxygen. Different pigments of red iron oxide compound are used in paint, ceramic, rubber, plastics and cosmetic industries.

Today, the prime user of red iron oxide pigment is the building material industry. It is specifically used in decorative architectural concrete as it offers combination of cost-effectiveness, durability, good tinting strength and cement compatibility. Pigments of other minerals also have these properties but their cost is much higher than iron oxide pigment.

Kaolinite-An essential component of performance mineral industry

Formed over many millions of years ago by the hydrothermal decomposition of granite rocks, Kaolin (kaolinite) is essentially a hydrated aluminium silicate crystalline mineral. Kaolinite – widely known as Kaolin clay or china clay- is one of the most common minerals found on earth with the chemical make-up of Al₂Si₂0₅(OH)₄.

Kaolin or Kaolin clay might be an inconspicuous mineral yet extremely essential for the countless industries. It is significantly used to improve performance, cost reduction, efficiency increment and enhancing the value of processes and end products like paints, ink, ceramics, cosmetics, plastics, rubber and adhesives amongst others. In addition, it is extensively used in Pharmaceutical industry for liquid medicine and medical powders.

Paints:

Fine Kaolin can be used to reduce the quantity of Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) and in turn to decrease formulation cost and to improve rheology. Coarse Kaolin however do not offer much scope extending TiO₂ but it does enhance the dry film property of primers and undercoats. Moreover, it is widely used in paints due to their ability to give opacity and viscosity.

Rubber:

Rubber benefits from Kaolin clay powder as it provides semi-reinforcing property to it. From tyres, belts, plugs, gaskets, mats to other innumerable extruded & fabricated parts, Kaolin tremendously helps to meet the demands of the broad customer base.

Adhesives:

In sealants and adhesives, Kaolinite clay is used as extender to alter their rheological properties due to its lower cost and superior reinforcing properties.

Cement:

Kaolin is a highly desired specialty mineral for cement and brick industry. It protects swimming pool systems and colour brick finishing from environment and other harsh conditions.

In many other cases, Kaolinite is engineered utilizing natural aluminosilicates and then refined using meticulous processes to further enhance its performance.

Calcined Kaolin-Performance enhancing specialty mineral

During the process of calcination, morphological, mineralogical and chemical changes occur resulting in the products with superior optical properties. Calcined clay (Calcined Kaolin) is its best example and the opacifying property makes it a universal choice for water based paints. Calcined clay functions as a synthetic pigment that gives color to the paints. Other synthetic pigments can be engineered molecules, blanc fixe, precipitated calcium carbonate and synthetic pyrogenic silica while natural pigments are clay, calcium carbonate, mica, silica, and talc.

Clay / Kaolin beneficiation process

Before using Kaolin, it is necessary to convert it into Kaolin powder with the help of mining equipments such as crushers, grinding machines etc. This process is termed as Kaolin beneficiation. Depending on the combustion temperatures, the properties and applications of calcined kaolin differs.

Marvels of MetaKaolin

To raise the material to high temperature (calcination) in a continuous process, a pyroprocessing device is used called rotatory kiln. And metakaolin is a scientifically processed reactive aluminosilicate pozzolan formed by calcining purified clay in an externally fired rotary kiln.

Calcined Kaolin finds diverse applications across industry sectors because of its properties such as color, softness, viscosity and small particle size. It is extensively used n fertilizers, detergents, textiles, cosmetics, insecticides, medicines and cement industry. Silica Fume has been used for many years in the areas where high strength and durable concrete were required. Silica Fume, one of the widely used mineral admixtures enhances the characteristics of both fresh and hard concrete.

In addition to above, Calcined Kaolin is also used in coating materials, functional fillers, extenders, pigments and porcelain applications.

Versatile Calcined Kaolin finds applications across Industrial Sectors

A fine blend of unique physical and chemical properties makes Kaolin, also called as Kaolinite, a key product in multiple industrial sectors. The shape, particle size, whiteness, softness, chemically inert nature and non-abrasiveness of kaolin holds critical value as an industrial mineral with wide applications in paper, rubber, paint, ceramics, plastics, ink, catalysis, insecticides and in many other segments.

Named after the famous 'Kao-ling' hill in China, Kaolin (Kaolinite, China Clay) is a group clay minerals belonging to sheet silicates with the general formula Al₄[Si₄O₁₀](OH)₈

Calcined Kaolin (Calcined Clay):

Calcined kaolin is a commercial grade of kaolin which is synthesized by calcination process. The process of producing calcined kaolin from kaolin is carried out in either conventional calcination method or flash calcination techniques. Calcined kaolin, or popularly referred as calcined clay, is an anhydrous aluminium silicate with enhanced whiteness, hardness, electrical properties and kaolin particle structure.

Metakaolin:

Metakaolin is refined kaolin clay produced by dehydoxylation of kaolin above 700^oC. Extensive researches on metakaolin have revealed that it is complex amorphous structure of silica SiO₂ and alumina Al₂O₃.

Silica Fume (Micro Silica):

Silica fume, often confused with fumed silica, are primarily composed of non-crystalline SiO₂ particles. It is produced as byproduct during the production of elemental silicon or alloys containing silicon.

Industrial Applications of Calcined Kaolin:

Calcined kaolin finds multiple applications across industries because of its color, softness, viscosity and small particle size. It is extensively used in coating materials, functional fillers, extenders, pigments and porcelain applications. In plastic industry, it is used in PVC cable to enhance electrical performance.

Paper Industry

Significant amount of calcined kaolin is used in Paper industry as a coating pigment and fillers. Its favorable optical properties and chemically inert nature is particularly suited for applications in paper industry. The relationship between the particle size and opacity of calcined kaolin holds immense value in paper industry. It is a cost-effective solution with its unique properties like coat weight, smoothness and texture.

Rubber Industry

Calcined kaolin is used as a functional filler in natural and synthetic rubber products as it lends strength, resistance against abrasion and rigidity. With low cost, whiteness and excellent functional features, it is one of the most widely used filler in rubber industry.

Paint Industry

Calcined kaolin finds usage in the extender pigments since decades. It is used as partial replacement of TiO₂ and helps in maintaining proper dispersion because of its rheological properties. Calcined kaolin is inexpensive and gives desired flow to the paint solutions.

Ceramic Industry

Dielectric properties and chemical inertness makes calcined kaolin favorable in ceramic and porcelain electrical insulators. In refractories, it finds applications because of its exceptional dimensional stability, high fusion point and minimal water content.

Plastic Industry

Being chemically inert and well-suited particle size and structure, calcined kaolin is used as functional fillers in plastic industry. It gives perfect smoothness, finishing, chemical resistance and structural stability to the plastic products.

In addition to above, calcined kaolin is also used in cement, fertilizers, detergents, textiles, cosmetics, insecticides and medicines.